Building as a teaching tool

What if your school facility itself could be a tool for teaching your students? A while ago, I toured Lady Bird Johnson Middle School in Irving, Texas, a net zero school (one that generates the same amount of energy as it consumes) and saw this in action.

There were a couple of select locations where the ceiling had intentionally been left out so that everyone could see the inner workings of the building. The different mechanical and plumbing lines were all color coded so that the different systems could be identified and followed. If your district has a career and technology program at the high school level, this could be very beneficial for architecture and engineering students to gain a basic understanding on how a building works.

In the main corridor, there were several interactive displays each with their own theme that would explain the different systems in the building in a manner that middle school students could understand. There were three dimensional diagrams of the earth and how a geothermal system worked on one wall, water collection, use and recycling on another and information on the sun and how it powered solar panels that in turn powered the school on yet another.

TV screens showed the energy management system so that students could see how much energy the facility was currently using. A floor plan of the school was on one monitor with each room colored green, yellow, or red based on the amount of energy being consumed. It became a positive challenge where students would try to find ways to conserve more energy and figure out how to eliminate the red rooms on the map.

Some of these may seem like grand ideas, but there are small ways to get started. Place recycling bins throughout the building and educate students and staff on how to use them. Perhaps it can be a competition among grade levels on who can generate the least amount of trash. Share the positive impacts of daylighting by comparing light levels and coloration on different surfaces, general feel of the space, etc. When students understand the environment in which they are working, they know better how to respond and interact with their surroundings, often showing greater respect and pride for their space.

Bond Planning

Have you started planning for your next bond issue? Here are some tips to get started. First, set aside some to time to plan. Yes you have to plan to plan. Getting organized is critical to having a successful building program. . 

Organize a team to gather data that can identify the needs in your district. A demographer to gather population information so that you can identify pockets of growth in your community, a financial adviser can assist in how you can finance the bond and what the tax impact will be, a bond attorney can assist in the legal matters of holding a bond election, an architect can assist in developing a facility assessment of any existing campuses that may need renovations or additions and can estimate the construction costs. Also enlist your own staff to evaluate your current grade level structure and sizes of your existing campuses and offer ideas for improvements. 

After the facility assessment is completed, enlist local community members to form a citizen's advisory group. Have the advisory group study the information and offer ideas as to what they feel are the critical needs and how best to accomplish the needed facility improvements.

Take time to study past bond elections and why they passed, or if they didn't, understand the root cause of the failure. This step alone could be the deciding factor as to whether or not your current plan is the right one. 

The planning for a bond election can vary depending on your community and assessing the needs. It can take from as little as a couple of months to a year. If you set aside ample time to effectively plan, your chances of success are much greater.

Michael D. King AIA

What is Xeriscaping?

What is Xeriscaping? Well it is a word which is often misunderstood and misspelled as “zero-scape." Some people may believe this term means the plants do not need any watering to survive, but in fact, all plants do need some amount of water. Xeriscaping is a word created by combining the Greek word "xeric" with "scape," to read literally, "dry view." We use the term to define a low-water use landscape, as opposed to a no water use.
A well-designed xeriscape can include a variety of plants which provide seasonal color. Other benefits of using xeriscape plants are, they can attract wildlife such as butterflies and hummingbirds, requires low maintenance, reduces the amount of turf area and conserve water. This of course will also include the most efficient irrigation layout and proper specified system which your landscape architect will do for your facilities. Not all xeriscape plants are cactus “type” plants. There are a variety of native grasses, shrubs and ground covers which exist. The most attractive landscapes usually reflect the region for which your landscape architect will design for. Landscapes should take advantage of the lands natural features in which they exist.

Xeriscapeing in majority of cases is not costly. Your Landscape designer would likely design such a layout around the perimeter of a facility. So if your district is planning for a new school or your maintenance department is looking to replacing several plants, make sure to ask your landscape designer about xeriscaping.

Career Tech - Planning for Programs of Study

An exciting trend in education in the past several years has been the continued shift from providing the standard 'vocational' classes that your parents may have experienced, to now providing career tech prep classes that are designed to integrate the core curriculum classes into the students program of study. The programs of study are simply the career path courses that the student has selected, for example; Health Sciences, Auto Tech, Human Resources, Education, Information Technology, Arts and Communication, Construction Technology, and many more.

Many of the programs will carry industry certifications that the student can earn during the course of the class which can be applied to their resume' to assist in securing employment after high school. Also many programs offer courses that can articulate as college credits for those students continuing on to higher education studies. 

The trend for many medium to large school districts is to provide a magnet center that students from each high school in the district can attend. The magnet center can offer a multitude of programs in one central location, as opposed to providing the more expensive shops such as auto tech/auto body and several locations in the school district. 

Planning for the career center can be a daunting task. You should plan on several months of planning activities. We recommend setting up a citizens advisory committee in assisting in the planning. This committee can be made up of the local business community, local colleges, concerned citizens, and all stakeholders such as your current career tech staff and students.  The committee can give recommendations for the courses that can benefit your community and students. Surveying your student body as to what their career interests are can also be very beneficial in designing the course offerings. A key to a successful career center will be marketing the program to your community and students, your counseling staff must be on board with the program as they are the ones actively talking to students on a daily basis. We had one district that developed some short videos about the upcoming career center and showed them in the local movie theaters. Not only were students viewing them, but their parents as well. On opening day for the career center, there was standing room only at the dedication; a testament as to well the staff had promoted the center. 

Start your planning process early and involve as many groups as you can in the planning process. Once the career center opens, your business community can play a large role in providing internships and support for the students in their various programs of study.

Michael D. King AIA

Construction Costs - Tracking Inflation

Tracking construction costs is a full time job. There are many factors nation wide that affect construction costs in the labor market and materials. The demand on building materials can even be affected by the world market as seen last year in the price of steel due to the massive amount of construction on going in China. So how does all this affect you and the new school that you are planning to build next year? Your design professional must keep track of current events/trends in the construction market in order for you to effectively plan what you are going to design and build and be able to accurately project the cost of those projects. This is a difficult task and I often tell my clients that my crystal ball is a bit fuzzy... meaning that it is difficult to predict the future regarding where costs will be for construction. A major influence in cost escalation is the amount and intensity of hurricanes that hit the United States in a given year. Needless to say, predicting hurricanes and the damage that they will leave behind is an impossible task. The construction market for the past several years has essentially been flat due the recession. This year however, as the economy has improved, construction costs have been on the rise. Predictions of the construction cost index at the beginning of 2012 for the year have been exceeded already as the third quarter costs have been evaluated ending in Sept. Even though steel costs have gone down the past quarter, a total of -1.3%, cement has gone up 1.2% and lumber has gone up 2.1%. Wages for common labor and skilled labor have gone up .9% and 1.3% respectively for the third quarter. As smaller subcontractors have gone out of business due to the recession, those contractors still around have picked up more work and are demanding increased labor costs as they get busier. So what does my crystal ball say? We are planning for construction inflation to be in the range of 8% to 10% next year barring any major natural weather events. Plan to set aside as much funds as you can to offset the escalation and any unforeseen occurrences. Michael King AIA

Green Roofs

What if your facility’s roof could be usable space, more than just a place to set roof top units? What if you could use this area as an outdoor classroom, a small garden for a science class or even grow herbs or vegetables for the kitchen? Green roofs, or vegetated roofs, help capture stormwater runoff, reduce heat gain into the building and lessen the urban heat island effect outside of the building. Green roofs are roof systems that are capable of growing grasses, herbs, plants, flowers and even trees of various species, textures, and heights.

There are two different categories of green roofs. Extensive roofs can be placed on slopes up to 30 degrees. They are more lightweight (12-35 psf) with a growth medium of 1-6 inches. These are for low growing plants that typically require minimal maintenance and have little water requirements. Intensive roofs have a growth medium of 6 or more inches and can be designed to grow trees, shrubs, or gardens. These often are higher maintenance and will likely require irrigation. This design can only be used on low sloped roofs. Paver systems can also be integrated into these roof systems.

Our firm recently completed a football stadium for a school district that placed their locker rooms and offices below the bleachers and main concourse where fans entered the stadium and could access concessions. The roof for the locker rooms became a paver system that was supported by small pedestals at each corner. All joints between pavers allowed water to seep through to the sloped roof system below, where it was then drained to internal roof drains like a typical low slope roof system. This allowed the project to maintain a tight footprint on the existing site and maximize usable space, capitalizing on opportunities for fans to maintain a good view to the field from the concession lines.

When considering if these roof systems are a viable option for your project, here are a few things to think about. One, the added installation cost of the roof system and increased load on the roof structure will add to the construction cost. These roof systems may cost 20-50% more than single-ply or multi-ply roof systems. On the other hand, these roofs have longer life spans due to moderated temperature swings and can have lower maintenance (depending on plant species). These also provide a quality space from which students can learn more about their environment.

Common Building Code Violations

As we do facility assessments for school districts, we come across some common violations that we see in schools. The most common is the locking of panic devices with a chain and padlock. This occurs in the older style of panic bars, or crash bars as they sometimes called, as the hardware and exit doors age they become more difficult to keep secure. The chaining of the bars together certainly keeps the doors secure, but does not allow for exiting of the building should someone be inside. As the building code has been updated, this bar type panic device is no longer allowed by code, but there are many that have not been replaced and still exist in many types of buildings, not just schools. We recommend the replacing of the panic bars with the newer style of exit devices that cannot be chained. The next most common building code violation is the blocking of an exit door, or the narrowing of an exit passageway. For educational occupancies the exit corridors must be a minimum of 6 feet wide. Many times I have observed the corridors filled with chairs, desks, band instruments, you name it and at some point in time there has been a corridor with this in it. You must maintain a clear passageway to the exit. Also, many times I have observed an exit door from a corridor, that has been closed by adding a wall and a door making a room out the space for storage or an office for example. This could be a violation of the exiting requirements as well because of taking out an exit door. The number of doors is a direct calculation of the number of occupants in the building. By decreasing the exits, you could be putting people at risk by not being able to exit the building properly. Always check with your architect before closing an exit doorway to make sure that you are not violating the building code. We find this violation more in elementary schools than others, the displaying of too much student artwork and projects on the walls of the exit corridors. While it is noble to display the work of the students, you should not cover more than 25% of the wall surface of the corridor. As you can tell from these examples, most of the violations are in the exiting requirements of the building and keeping those exit passageways safe and open for the emergency evacuation of the building. Keep that in mind as you observe the changes that are made as your building grows older and people work and modify their environments. Contact your architect and ask if the requested changes will be in compliance with the current building codes. Michael King AIA

Rain Gardens

What is a rain garden?
It’s a landscape feature consisting of a planted shallow depression which collects rainwater runoff from roofs, parking lots and other impervious surfaces. Integrating rain gardens, rain barrels and other types of on-site rainwater management techniques on school property can be inexpensive, environmental practical and full of educational opportunities. Many public schools have taken advantage of building a rain garden for their campus such as the Mount Tabor Middle School in Portland, Oregon where they converted an existing parking lot into a rain garden.

Having a rain garden and process of planning it can be a valuable experience for students and teachers. It will provide an awareness of environmental issues, within your neighborhood which can provide many lessons and knowledge that can be passed on from one community to the next. Here are a few of the benefits and downfalls on rain gardens.
Pros:
-Prevents flooding and drainage problems
-Protects streams and lakes from contaminants
-Reduce erosion
-Reduce the load on municipal storm water treatment.
-Hands-on, in-the-field educational opportunities
-Sustainable through drought, flood and the summer break
-Enhance community awareness of stormwater issues
-Create a sense of community ownership of the solution to pollution issues
Cons:
-Most rain gardens need some maintenance
-Traditional ornamental plants will not survive. Must use native plants

There are several existing programs to help each school start up their own rain gardens. Here are several links for your use.

http://uwarboretum.org/eps/research_act_classroom/rain_garden_curriculum.p
http://www.lowimpactdevelopment.org/school/articles/rain_garden.pdf
http://www.schools.indiawaterportal.org/node/9

Understanding Building Codes- A History

Building codes have been in existence for over 4000 years. One of the earliest written codes comes from Babylon and is known as the Code of Hammurabi, written around 1750BC. The part of the code pertaining to buildings is essentially an 'eye for an eye' where if the house fell in and killed the owner, then the builder was put to death. More recent codes have been driven by disasters. For example, the great London fire of 1666 led to the 'London Building Act' of 1668 which led to some of the first appointed building inspectors. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire in 1906 led to the formation of the first building codes in the United States. The system of building regulations in the United States has been based on three regional model code groups. Codes developed by the Building Officials Code Administrators International (BOCA) were used on the east coast and in the midwest known as the BOCA National Building Code. Codes from the Southern Building Code Congress International (SBCCI) were used in the south and southeast known as the Standard Building Code. Codes published by the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO) covered the west coast and into the midwest known as the Uniform Building Code. Local jurisdictions would adopt the particular year the code was published and the particular model code, for example the '1985 Standard Code'. Building codes are updated every three years, so if a city had not updated their ordinance, they might be operating under an outdated code. Each jurisdiction could adopt any model code they saw fit. As you can see, this created some confusion in the building and design industry. From one city to the next, there could be significant differences and keeping up with the modifications was nearly an impossible task. It became obvious in the early 1990's that the country needed a single coordinated set of national building codes. The three model code groups decided to combine their efforts and in 1994 formed the International Code Council (ICC) to develop codes that would have no regional limitations. The first International Building Code was published in 1997 and by 2000, the ICC had completed the International Code series and the other codes (BOCA, Standard, and Uniform) have ceased to be published. As has been the pattern, the IBC (International Building Code) is updated every three years. Most cities have adopted either the 2006 or 2009 code and some are moving to adopt the 2012. What if your school is not in the limits of a city jurisdiction? The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has stated that if this is the case, the School Board must adopt the latest building code for your building project. The building codes are here for all of our protection. As I continue this series I will outline some of the basics of the code so that you can be aware of the what are the most common code violations that we encounter when we assess schools. Michael D. King AIA

My Roof Leaks!

One of the most annoying and potentially damaging things that can happen in a school is roof leaks. The most warranty call backs that we receive as architects is roof leaks. So what can be done to reduce the amount of leaks in your roofing system? You will notice that I said 'reduce the amount of leaks' and not eliminate them completely. I honestly do not believe that you can totally eliminate roof leaks in a large structure over a long period of time. All roofing systems take maintenance and over time the amount invested in maintenance will increase no matter what type of roof you have. So what is the best roofing system to use? Many clients will tell me that they want a pitched metal roof "because they don't leak". Well, even pitched metal roofs will eventually leak. The type of roof system you select will largely depend on the design of the school - or vice versa - if you insist on pitched metal roofs, then that will affect the design of the floor plan. For example, pitched roofs such as you have on your house would not work over a compact school floor plan. The span of the roof is so great that the height of the roof would be excessive, over several stories high. So what designers do is create low sloping roofs that can span great distances, but not create excessive volumes under the roof. Don't get me wrong, I like metal roofs but don't expect them to be perfect. If you can limit the amount of penetrations through the roof, then metal is a good choice. There are several roof systems that are used for these low sloping applications. Four Ply Built-Up roofing is one example. This system uses asphalt impregnated fiberglass sheets with layers of asphalt between them, hence 4 sheets or plys, then a top coat of asphalt and gravel. This is a long time proven system and you can get a warranty up to 20 years on this type of system. There are variations of this type of system that use three plys or two plys with various top coats of gravel or modified bitumen sheets. There is also several manufacturers of single ply roofing that use specially formulated thermoplastic coated membranes (PVC or TPO) products. The single sheets are laid and welded together to form a seamless membrane on the roof. These systems also have the added value of a light reflective surface that reflect the sun's rays to keep the roof from absorbing heat. The single ply's typically have a 10 to 15 year warranty. Before going into your building project, know what type of roofing that the design professional is recommending and why. What type of roof can you afford? What type of roof will give you the best warranty? All of these issues need to be thoroughly discussed. As an added value, you may want to employ a roofing consultant to help you wade through the myriad of choices. This is something that we recommend because this professional can help not only in the design of the roof system, but can also be present when the roof is being installed to insure that a proper job is being done. Michael King AIA

Classroom Acoustics

Have you ever wondered if acoustics in learning spaces are impacting how a student hears and retains information? Communication between teachers and students is a key component of learning. Many teachers have different communication styles and each student also processes information differently, but if the student cannot hear the information then that is another problem all together. The good news is that it is a correctable problem. This is why high performance facilities are addressing the impact acoustics have on communication between teachers and students in lecture and group activity settings.

In 2002, the American National Standards Institute created ANSI S12.60, the Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design Requirements and Guidelines for Schools. It was last updated in 2009. It provides a standard that sets specific criteria for maximum background noise and reverberation time for unoccupied classrooms.
Currently, ANSI S12.60-2002 is voluntary unless adopted by state or local jurisdiction. It has been adopted by several northeastern and some western school districts as a design standard. There are also European countries that have embraced it in addition to LEED for Schools and CHPS.

In 2010, The US Access Board, a federal agency advancing the ADA began the process of developing regulations for classrooms based on ANSI S12.60 to apply to all new classrooms nationwide in the future.

One of the key ingredients to good acoustics in a classroom that is less than 10,000 cubic feet is keeping the Reverberation Time between (0.4 – 0.6) seconds at 500 Hz. The time is increased to 0.7 seconds and greater for larger classrooms over 20,000 cubic feet) depending on the use. The specified reverberation times allow for optimum acoustic performance of a direct sound to reach the listener before the reflected sound becomes inaudible.

The Sabine Equation is used to calculate the Reverberation Time RT60

A typical classroom of 25x30 with 9 foot ceilings = 6,750 cubic feet

The Sabine Equation takes into account qualities of a typical classroom; such as the square footage areas for floor, walls, ceilings, marker boards, doors, windows, light fixtures and typical furniture; including the sound absorption coefficients of typical finishes used in a classroom. The results vary depending on the absorption qualities of the materials.

ANSI S12.60-2002, recommends that the most benefit of controlling the RT in a classroom under 10,000 cubic feet with 9 foot ceilings; is to place all the sound absorbing material on the ceiling. Part of the direct sound spoken from the teacher is being bounced (reflected) off the floor, ceiling and then the walls. At a volume less than 10 feet the critical location to absorb the sound is at the ceiling. Carpet on the floor provides very minimal absorption and mainly benefits reduction of foot traffic. In order to reduce the Reverberation Time to between (0.4 – 0.6) seconds at 500 Hz the ceiling material needs to have an NRC of 0.70 or higher. The Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) is an average measure of how much sound a material absorbs at 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, and 2000 Hz rounded to the nearest 0.05 when tested in accordance with ASTM C 423.

An (NRC) lower than 0.70 provides too long of an RT at 500 Hz. When the sound is reflected for too long, it is mixing earlier words with later words thus leaving the listener confused. Adults are good at using context clues to figure out what they thought they heard, but children; especially young students and those with learning disabilities or those taking a foreign language are academically affected by the missing words.

The Armstrong website offers a great alternative to calculating the Sabine Equation. It has an Interactive Reverberation Tool that automatically calculates the RT of a space after inputting the square footage and surface materials of a room. It provides numerical and audible before and after data, so you can hear the difference.

To access the tool, visit:
http://www.armstrong.com/commceilingsna/article21088.html

The Ceiling Attenuation Class (CAC) is another part of the puzzle, it blocks sound from escaping through the ceiling and being transmitting to the plenum space and over to the neighboring room, as well as mechanical noise. Air handlers are recommended to be located above spaces that are typically noisy such as cafeterias and corridors. It is preferred not to have units above classrooms, offices or libraries. A CAC of 35 or higher meets the ANSI S12.60.

Overhearing noise from a neighboring classroom seems to be a common problem for teachers. The Sound Transmission Class (STC) is a rating that measures the effectiveness of a wall (such as between classrooms, exterior and corridor walls) to block sound from escaping, just like the CAC for ceilings. The higher the STC the better the wall is at blocking sound transfer. For example, loud speech can be understood fairly well through an STC 30 wall, but should not be audible through an STC 60 wall. According to ANSI S12.60 the drywall classroom partition shall have a minimum STC of 50. This rating is achieved through the series of materials that are assembled. An STC of 50 is made up of two layers of gypsum board on each side of a metal stud with batt insulation. A cmu wall with insulation would also be acceptable. In addition, sealant is necessary to seal any penetration, air-gap, or “flanking” path that can degrade the isolation quality of a wall. Special consideration needs to be given to spaces where the noise transfer concern is other than from speech, such as mechanical equipment or music.

Due to the size of Lecture Hall spaces, these rooms benefit from a longer RT. It is recommended to have a 10’ ceiling or higher and install Gypsum board or a low NRC tile from the teaching wall into the middle of the classroom. Then provide an Acoustical Absorptive NRC = 0.75 or greater along three sides of the perimeter. In addition, acoustical wall panels on three sides of the room shall be added above 9’ to reduce echoes. This helps the direct sound reflect off the ceiling to the listener in the back of the room and then the perimeter tile and wall panels absorb it to NRC of 0.75 on the ceiling then the direct sound would not make it to the back of the room for the listener. The combination and location of the higher NRC at the perimeter creates the necessary balance.

The ceiling is the first line of defense in achieving good acoustics. Investigating how well acoustics are performing in your classrooms can provide valuable information to improving the learning environment for both teachers and students.

For the resources on this topic visit:

The School Noise/Quiet Classrooms www.classroomacoutics.org
ANSI Classroom Acoustic Standard ANSI S12.60 http://asastore.aip.org/
Armstrong www.armstrong.com/schools.

Net Zero Buildings

The other day I was reading an online article about solar and wind energy for residential units. One of the criticisms the article presented was that energy producing technologies at a residential scale won’t solve large-scale energy problems. Large solar or wind plants are needed if one wants to use green energy to solve any kind of large-scale problem. The author then went on to counter-point by asking the question why not the small-scale, local model? What if energy wasn’t produced at a large, centralized location, but instead it was produced at a small, more localized level on a widespread scale? Why can’t the building itself produce its own energy?

Traditionally, buildings constitute 40% of the energy consumption in the U.S. and E.U. There has been a push in the architectural community to reduce this percentage. Net zero or near zero buildings are gaining in popularity and importance for this very reason. Net zero or near zero buildings produce as much energy as they consume. This can be achieved through a combination of energy efficient building systems (geo-thermal and lighting selection), building envelopes (ICF and low-e glazing), building orientation (natural ventilation and shading), and energy producing systems (solar panels and wind turbines).   Net zero buildings don’t have to be fully autonomous. These buildings can still be hooked to the grid. During times of low energy demand, the building can run off its own energy production. If the building is producing more energy than needed, excess energy can be fed back into the grid. During times of high energy demand or low energy production, the building could then draw from the grid as needed.

The idea of having a local, decentralized source of power for buildings may seem far off, but the technology to do this exists right now. Maybe not every building produces its own power. What if different neighborhoods had their own individual power sources? A system like this would be more secure when there are power failures due to intense storms and blackouts. One could also have individual neighborhoods experimenting with new technologies and different systems combinations. What if the neighborhood elementary school became a power contributor?

Here is a diagram of a net zero home. These same concepts can apply to educational facilities. Image courtesy of http://blog.builddirect.com/greenbuilding/net-zero-home-building/. You can also find more information on net zero homes here.

Construction Phase - 2

As your construction project is nearing its completion, there are a myriad of items to follow up on in order to be able to move into the building. Within 60 days of the anticipated completion you should be in communication with the contractor about the suitability of the Work in place, note any defects that need correcting and reviewing the quality control reports. Communicate any unsettled claims with a recommendation for closing those issues. All of these items can be relayed through your design professional. The contractor should be checking the status of the various State and Local Agency's and jurisdictions for any outstanding items. The most important is to secure the Certificate of Occupancy from the city. With out this document completed, you will not be moving into your building! Within 30 days of completion you should be able to establish the date of 'Substantial Completion'. This is the date that you as the owner take over the building. All parties will sign the Substantial Completion form, owner, contractor and architect. This is the contractual end of the project in regards to the time frame, so this document is very important. It also establishes the day and time that the owner's building insurance takes over. Contractually, substantial completion is the day that the owner can 'use the building for it's intended use'. Attached to the substantial completion form is the punch list. The punch list is a list of all of the uncompleted items or items that need to be repaired, replaced etc. For example, the contractor needs to touch up the paint in room #1, or the base board in room #2 is defective and needs to be replaced. These are usually minor items that do not affect the moving in of the owner. Once all of the items on the punch list have been completed, and the architect receives all of the close out documents from the contractor, then the contractor can be paid the final payment. The close out documents include all of the warranties and guaranties of all of the equipment and products in the bldg, air conditioning equipment, roofing, carpet, doors, security systems, data systems etc. Also it includes affidavits that all the contractor's bills have been paid and that there are no outstanding liens on the project. One final item that we always specify is that the air quality of the building be tested prior to occupying the building. You must leave time for the building to breathe. By this I mean allowing the glues and paints to dissipate so that the building is safe to occupy. Contractors are required to use products that have low volatile organic compounds (VOC's). There will be however, a time period when even these products will smell bad. The worst offenders seem to be furniture manufacturers and the glues that they use to build with. Some of the glues off gas formaldehyde which takes approx 2 weeks to dissipate. You need to plan accordingly and leave enough time between moving in the furniture to your new school and then occupying it. Test the air quality of the building after 6 months of occupancy and again at 11 months to establish a base line. This way there can be no disputing that the air quality is safe and no damage has been done to students and staff that are using the building. With all that, now that you are finished with this project, let's get started on the next one! Michael D. King AIA

Greening Existing Facilities

I was listening to a webinar today on simple measures that can be taken to begin the process of greening existing facilities. It is important to establish a baseline to determine where improvements can be made. Below are a few of the items that Allan Skodowski, LEED AP discussed. More information can be found at www.thevirtualgreenexpo.com.

• Visit your building late at night. Conduct a night time audit of all spaces inside and outside of the building, including signage, lighting, plug loads, etc. What is on, what is off, what is just plugged in?
• Compare day vs. night data. What is on at night that doesn’t need to be on?
• Evaluate building start times vs. equipment start times. Often, HVAC systems are scheduled to come on at least an hour before the building is occupied so that it will be comfortable when people arrive.  How long does it really take to get into that ideal range?
• Read all utility meters to understand all utility charges and keep track of trends.
• Evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of current HVAC systems.
• Utilize the EPA’s EnergyStar website for help. This tool can guide you through what data to collect and track for one or many buildings. (www.energystar.gov)

Once this data is collected, a baseline is established.  What simple improvements can be made without adding cost that will help improve operating costs?

 

• What is on at night unnecessarily? What can be monitored and turned off at night? Can site lighting be dimmed during certain hours? What basic training can be done to encourage staff to improve their habits?
• Try to cut 15 minutes off of the start and end times of HVAC or other timed systems and see if anyone notices the difference.
• Check controls, clean coils, change filters, check dampers on HVAC equipment. Is everything running properly and as efficiently as possible?
• Look at Energy Star’s recommendations for other possible improvements.

 

Many school districts also utilize energy management systems that constantly monitor HVAC and electrical systems. These can be incredibly useful in tracking trends and being able to visualize when something has become out of sync.

The Construction Phase

Now that you have hired your architect, discussed all the attributes of your building project (including all the sustainable issues and more discussed in the blog), you are ready to build your project. This will be the longest and most intensive phase of the project. You will be working not only with the architect and their staff, but also the contractor, city inspectors, your materials testing firm, possibly the state department of transportation if you front a highway, the county health department and others. The first step is to have the architect issue a 'Notice to Proceed'. Usually you have a pre-construction meeting with all the subcontractors and general contractor to go over the parameters of the project, discussing who is the contact person for each entity, shop drawing submittals and pay application submittals and the timing of each. The Notice to Proceed is critical because it sets the date that the project construction officially starts. All parties agree on this date at the pre-construction meeting. Unless you have a starting date, there is no way to prove the ending date, which sometimes can be controversial. The pay applications are the monthly requests from the contractor for the work in place and any materials that are stored on site. The architect reviews the monthly pay apps and approves the work, or has the contractor make revisions if there are discrepancies. Notice that you are paying for materials that are stored on the project site. We do not recommend that you pay for materials stored off site unless they are in a bonded and insured warehouse. Even then, we usually limit the amount of materials stored off site to special occurrences that cannot be avoided. The pay applications will show the amount of work completed and the amount in retainage. The normal amount of retainage is 5% of the total amount of the contract. This amount is withheld each pay period and held to the end of the project to insure that all the work has been completed to everyone's satisfaction. As the work progresses, the contractor will have questions that will arise. These are put forth to the architect in an 'RFI', or Request For Information. It is critical that the architect respond to these RFI's in a timely fashion so that the construction of the project in not impacted. Weekly on site job progress meetings should review all outstanding RFI's and their progress. The weekly meetings should also discuss and review the construction schedule. If progress has been impeded by any issue, it is critical for the contractor to show you how they intend to make up for the lost time. If the delay is weather related, it rained or it is too muddy to work, then the contractor must log that occurrence and request and extension of time to the architect. This of course depends on how the contract is written, if you are allowing weather related days to extend the contract time or not. My next blog will discuss the change order process and how to close out a project.

Fluorescent vs. LED Lights

As school budgets and energy consumption continue to be hot topics; and the IgCC (see The Future of Building Green) is requiring both dimmable light fixtures and occupancy sensors, selecting the proper lamps for your school should be an important topic of discussion. The two biggest players in the game are Fluorescent and LED – both viable options, depending on your district’s goals.

Important characteristics that will apply to both lamp types are as follows:

Lumens – the amount of light emitted per second (light output)

Efficacy – is the factor of lumens per watt consumed

Color Rendering Index (CRI) – The measure of the ability of a light source to reproduce the colors of an object as compared to a natural light source; expressed on a scale of 0-100 with 100 being daylight. The available range is relatively the same (50-90) in both fluorescent & LED lamps so I won't compare them, but it's important to speak with your architect and electrical engineer about your expectations.

Color Temperature (CCT) – The numerical measurement of a light source’s color appearance, measured in degrees Kelvin. Think about fire, as it begins to burn, the flames are red & orange, but as it gets hotter, the flames turn blue & white. Lamps are the same, cooler temperatures are warmer in color and warmer temperatures are cooler in color. Similar to CRI, the available ranges are the same (2500K-6500K), you just need to discuss options and related costs with your architect.

Linear Fluorescent Lamps: The Contender

This is the MOST common lamp used in commercial and institutional buildings. This fact alone is what makes them so affordable - the technology is mature and the market stable. The basic construction of a linear fluorescent lamp is a glass tube coated on the inside with a phosphor, filled with a mixture of argon/krypton gases and a tiny amount of mercury. Light is produced when the phosphor coating is excited by the UV radiation from the electrode/mercury combination. It is very important to ensure lamps are disposed of properly because while the amount of mercury is small, as thousands of lamps end up in landfills the hazard increases. Please contact your city for proper hazardous waste disposal. Lamps are identified based on their shape and diameter – meaning if the Tube is 1” (8/8”), it is a T8. Standard sizes used in schools are T12s (although these are being phased out for inefficiency, older buildings may still have them), T8s and T5s. It is important to note that ALL fluorescent lamps require a ballast (a mini transformer) to provide voltage to start the lamp and regulate the electrical current during operation. T12s use electromagnetic ballasts and T8/T5s use electronic ballasts that are about 40% more efficient than electromagnetic. An energy conservation option for older buildings with tight budgets is to convert all T12 lamps to T8s; just be sure the fixtures and ballasts are compatible with the new lamps. An uncommonly known downfall of linear fluorescent lamps is their sensitivity to temperatures. Fluorescent lamps will not light up in extreme cold or hot temperatures because the mercury vapor pressure is dependent on the ambient operating temperature of the lamp (not room temperature, but the temp around the lamp itself in the fixture). The lamp life can also be affected by how often the light is turned on & off. Lamp life is based on a three-hour burn cycle, three-hours on and 20-minutes off. Operating lamps at a longer than three-hour burn cycle will increase lamp life (up to 36,000 hours); conversely, operating lamps on shorter burn cycles will reduce lamp life.



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Image courtesy of US Dept. of Energy

Advantages:
Mature Technology = Low Cost
Low Cost per Lumen
Extensive Fixture Options

High Efficacy (30-110 lumens/watt)

Long Life (7,000-24,000 hours)

Disadvantages:

Requires a ballast

Added cost for dimmable ballast

Temperature Sensitivity
Lamp life affected by how often it's turned on/off
Must be disposed of properly (mercury & gas)

Delayed turn on - flicker

LED Lamps: The Challenger

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), also known as Solid State Lighting (SSLs), are highly sought-after for their reduced energy consumption. Multiple LEDs can easily put out the same amount of light as fluorescent tube for a fraction of the wattage. An additional cost savings that we stumbled upon in a recent project was that while one electrical panel can typically support 25 linear fluorescent troffers (the 2x4 fixtures), the same panel could support 75 LED fixtures – that’s a significant initial savings in electrical equipment. That’s right, I said it: initial savings. Every time someone brings up LED lights their first reaction is, “I know they’re more energy efficient, but it costs SO much initially.” Initial costs are dropping slowly and there are some factors that are making the competition a little closer. I mentioned fewer electrical panels for the same # of fixtures. If you’re familiar with the new energy code (IECC), it has defined that any lights within daylight zones must have dimmable controls that are independent of the general area lighting. In order to make a fluorescent lamp dimmable, there is a major change in the ballast that increases the cost – almost equal to that of an LED which is inherently dimmable. Another thing people are concerned about is the color of LEDs. Long gone are the days of blue-tinted light, unless that’s what you want. In fact, LEDs are available in saturated colors (Red, Green, Blue, etc.) and various temperatures of white light – some achieving CRIs of 90+. The final benefit I’m going to discuss is the heat emitted from LED lamps. A typical linear fluorescent emits about 30 btu’s/hr while an LED only emits 3.4 btu’s/hr. This could translate into a minor adjustment to the cooling load for the building – something to discuss with your mechanical engineer.

Advantages

Image courtesy of US Dept. of Energy



High Efficacy (25-100 lumens/watt)

Long Life (35,000-50,000 hours)

Inherently dimmable

Reduced energy consumption (~1/2)

Mercury-Free

Less Heat Build-up (~ 1/10^th)

Immediate On

 

Disadvantages

High initial cost

Directional nature – requires more lamps to get ambient light effect

Limited fixture options (troffers)

Resources:

U.S. Department of Energy - http://www1.eere.energy.gov/manufacturing/utilities/fluorescent.html                                           http://www1.eere.energy.gov/manufacturing/utilities/solidstateled.html

Eartheasy - http://eartheasy.com/live_energyeff_lighting.htm#1c

Comparison Chart: http://www.designrecycleinc.com/led%20comp%20chart.html

Window Design

We all know how hot it can get during these summer months. While I sit here next to a window in my cubicle, it got me thinking about proper window design. Many of us spend most of our day inside buildings that do not have efficient windows. You can definitely feel the difference when you walk into a room with windows facing south and/or west. Improper glazing can negatively affect the building’s energy consumption, appropriate levels of day lighting, and the occupants’ visual and thermal comfort.

When it comes to window design, there are several variables to consider. A few come to mind such as the current climate condition, where the building is located, the building size and type of windows, and the building’s primary function.

The orientation of the building plays a big part on how it can maximize solar access. Taking full advantage of day lighting can help reduce the need for electrical lighting as well as heating and cooling loads. One best practice on proper building orientation is with the long axis of the building oriented east-west to maximize southern exposure and northern indirect lighting which can contribute to less heat gain and glare.

The window size and placement on the building, according to the regional climate, also play a part in climate control. Colder climates perform differently than warmer climates. In colder climates, it’s best to take full advantage of the sun by placing larger windows on the south side, which can provide greater opportunity for passive solar heating. Here, the sun rises farther south of east and also sets farther south of west. In warmer climates, it’s difficult to control solar heat gain and glare when placing windows on the east and west sides of the building. The sun rises north of east and sets north of west. Therefore, windows on the east and west sides will get direct sunlight for several hours each day. This will also bring in more heat when it is not needed. One solution to help control this in the warmer climates is to provide window shades, fins and/or overhangs. However, north and south facing windows should be significantly larger to provide better daylight and views.

The type of glass also plays a part in the aesthetics, energy consumption, and glare within the building. Different types of glazing vary in their abilities to let light through and to prevent heat loss. Glazing is rated by several factors such as:
1. U factor: This is a measurement of the rate of heat transferred through the glass. The lower the U factor, the less heat that actually enters the building.
2. Solar Heat Gain Coefficient or SHGC: This is the fraction of the solar energy that is transferred through the glass of a window. In cold climates, a higher SHGC is ideal to collect heat from the sun. In warm climates, a lower SHGC is desired to block heat from the sun from entering the building.
3. Visible Transmittance or VT: This is how much light is transmitted through the glass. The higher the percentage, the more light that comes through the window.

All of these factors can be obtained by window manufacturers.

http://www.efficientwindows.org/ToolsForSchools.pdf

The Future of Building Green

Third party ratings systems for green design have been around for some time now, but it’s possible that rating systems may eventually go away. Perhaps green supporters are finding ways to ensure that green design sticks around for good.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) , American Institute of Architects (AIA), and several other key organizations joined forces with the International Code Council (ICC) to develop the future of building green as code; thus, requiring the reduction of energy usage and environmental impact in commercial construction (new and existing).

The International Green Construction Code (IgCC) is the first of its kind for state and local government to adopt as of March 2012. The IgCC is intended as an overlay code to the existing set of International Building Codes, and as a complement to voluntary third party rating systems such as LEED. As an overlay code it allows green design practices to be integrated without conflicting with International Building Codes.

The IgCC is setup by chapters and addresses areas including: Site Development, Material Resource, Energy and Water Conservation and Efficiency, Indoor Environmental Quality and Comfort, Building Operation and Maintenance; in addition to Project Electives. The Project Electives are opportunities for building designs to exceed minimum requirements. The total number of electives which a building owner must comply is set by the jurisdiction; however, the building owner can then select which of those electives is appropriate for their project.

The IgCC is utilizing best practices within the code to deliver opportunities for building owners to have a high performance building. Criteria under “Building Operation, Maintenance and Owner Education, “such as periodic re-commissioning helps ensure that a building is performing as designed. Commissioning offers owners the opportunity to correct or improve building systems that affect the operations and maintenance cost over the lifetime of the building.

Most notable is that the IgCC is not required to be adopted in full. It allows jurisdictions to select from baseline provisions and also provides flexibility through provision options that can be customized to meet local needs. The IgCC is written in a mandatory and explicit language; however, the code can be adopted as mandatory or non-mandatory.

Because the code can be customized by the jurisdiction; it gives the public an opportunity to influence which parts of the code are adopted. Several cities and organizations have assembled task force groups to evaluate the development of the IgCC and offer recommendations on what to adopt and when, since this gives tate and local jurisdiction the authority to enforce green building practices as code.

The next round of changes to the IgCC is scheduled for 2014. Like any new code it will likely take several years for mainstream adoption. However, early adopters such as the state of Oregon, Rhode Island, Maryland, North Carolina, and Florida; as well as the cities of Richland (Washington), Keene (New Hampshire), Scottsdale, Phoenix and Kayenta (Arizona) and Boyton Beach (Florida); put this green code on its way to becoming the future of building green.

For more information on the International Green Construction Code visit: www.iccsafe.org

Hiring an Architect

Hiring an architect, one of my favorite subjects since I am an architect. The state of Texas is very clear about the process for hiring an architect or an architectural firm. You must base your selection on the qualifications of the firm, not the fee. Even though this legislation has been around for years, we still get asked (not often) what our fee is during an interview. We respectfully decline to answer that question because I could have my license revoked if proven to have violated the regulation. I always suggest to get an architect engaged as early as possible for a project. Even to the point of site selections as their expertise can be very valuable in helping determine if a site is feasible or not for your school. To start, determine what it is that you want the architect to do. There are many services that an architect can perform and you need to be specific in your Request for Qualifications (RFQ) about what it is you need. For example, you might need a facility study done on a bldg that you are considering renovating. You might want a master plan designed for a new campus, or a site analysis for several plots of land. Ask in the RFQ for examples of work that are similar to your needs, who the team will be that will be working on your project. Make sure to ask that question in the interview so that you understand if the team interviewing is the team that will be working with you. You will most likely get multiple responses to the RFQ so develop a process to cull the number down to the top 3 or 5 firms and invite those firms to interview. The selection committee may want to go tour some campuses that have been designed by the firms you are most interested in. Always check references. Call past clients and also check with the General Contractors that have worked with these firms. Finally, make the selection based upon the qualifications of the firm. Then you can negotiate a fee with the most qualified firm. If you can't negotiate with your number 1 selection, then you go to the second firm and so on. Remember, you can be engaged with an architect for quite a while, the entire design and construction process can encompass any where from 1 to 4 years. You want to be certain it is someone you can trust and work with for an extended period of time. Michael King AIA

Bond Ethics -FAQ's - Part 3, Final

We have had some great discussions about bond issue ethics and what you can say and do during the bond election processes. This final blog of FAQ's asks some good technical questions so read carefully and see if you can answer them before I give the answer. Question #7 - The Public Relations Director of the School District has given the Superintendent a bond brochure to approve before it is put in the mail. The brochure is factual in content and also contains the words such as: Needs, Best Solution, Maximize, Important, Horrible Shape, Protect, Fantastic, Enhance, Benefit. Are these terms ok to use and if not, how should they be changed? Answer #7- No, these words are not ok to use in a school district published brochure. Under Section 255.003 of the Election Code, an officer or employee of a political subdivision may not spend or authorize the spending of public funds for political advertising. A person who violates this section commits an offense. An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor. The needs of the district can be displayed by making the following types of information available: Growth Rates, Performance Data, Tax Rate Effects, Identify Proposed Projects, Polling Places, Student Capacity, Age or Condition of Facilities, Costs of Projects and Voter Registration Information. Question #8- A bond election has recently been approved by voters in the District. However, one of the citizens is not happy with the results and is threatening complaints to the Texas Ethics Commission and is suggesting he will get the results of the election overturned. If he does follow through and make the complaint, what should be expected? Answer #8 -If a complaint is filed against anyone with the Texas Ethics Commission, you will have an opportunity to respond. The Texas Ethics Commission has no authority to overturn the results of an election. A citizen must file with the District Court charging that the violation would have altered the results of the election. Question #9 - You and a couple of your friends are thinking about forming a Special Purpose Political Action Committee in support of the upcoming bond election. You have not filed your paperwork, however you would like to get ahead of the game by pre-purchasing advertising space for every week during the election. The cost for the advertising space is $1500. Can you do this? Answer #9- No, any GROUP wishing to form a Special Purpose Political Action Committee may not spend or collect more than $500 before filing for Appointment of Treasurer. All Political Advertising must include the name of the group paying for the ad and it's Treasurer. As always, if you have a question about what is right or the correct way to phrase something that will be going in your brochure, you should run it by your district's counsel. We have even tried asking the Ethics Commission to rule on some phrases before it is printed and they have denied previewing the verbiage. It is best to err on the conservative side when publishing district material in order to avoid the embarrassment of having a newspaper article coming out that the district violated some ethics rules. That is never good for trying to get a bond issue passed.

Bond Ethics - FAQ's, Part 2

Continuing the discussion regarding ethics in bond issues, here are three more 'Q and A's'; Question 4- A member of the "Invest in Education" Political Action Committee (PAC) would like to place a flyer in the teacher mailboxes advocating the passage of the upcoming bond election. The PAC would send a volunteer to the District to place the flyers into the mailboxes so that no employee time would be used to hand out the flyers. Is this allowed? Answer 4 - No, see Ethics Advisory Opinion #45. Advocacy literature produced by proponents or opponents cannot be distributed or available on property owned by the political subdivision, even if equal access is allowed to both sides. Question 5 - The District is about to call a bond election and a member of the planning committee suggests structuring early voting locations to coordinate with school events. For example, he would like to see early voting at the football stadium right before the big game. Is this allowed? Answer 5 - Early voting or Motor Voting, must be held in a permanent structure located within the boundaries of the District. So if the hope was to have a voting place in a portable bldg set up at the football game, this is not allowed. The decision for early voting locations is truly a personal/political call for the District to make. Some people may view these locations as contrived. Others may view it as giving the community a more convenient voting location. Question 6 - A couple of Board Members have approached you about placing 'vote yes' yard signs printed by the Political Action Committee in their yards. They would also like to give pro-bond presentations at some local organizations which they are involved in. What should you tell them? Answer 6 - It is perfectly legal for Board Members to get involved in the campaign as long as they are not using political advertising that they produced using District materials or resources. Board members are elected officials and not paid members of the District and are usually expected to be political figures in the community. In this case, the Board members were using materials produced by the Political Action Committee. Question 6 probably raises more questions than just the facts that I have stated. Public perception comes into play here. You would be wise to evaluate your own community and how they would view this situation. The truth is that Board members are community members and can advocate for the passage of the bond or the defeat of the bond as is sometimes the case. I will say if the latter is the case, the chances of you passing your bond issue is greatly diminished if all the board members are not for the passage. Michael King AIA

Bond Ethics - FAQ's

The next series of blogs regarding Bond Election Ethics will be in the form of frequently asked questions that we have compiled through our experience with assisting in school bond elections. These questions assume that you are the Superintendent of the school district and these questions are being asked of you. Of course the safe answer would be that you should always check with your legal counsel, but a general knowledge of the ethics rules will help you stay out of trouble. Question 1 - The District is about to call for a bond election. The School Board President asks if the Board should appoint a Political Action Committee. What should you tell him/her? Answer- Absolutely not. The Board should never take any action in regards to a group that will be participating in and paying for political advertising. Political Action Committees should form by themselves. Usually these groups will form naturally through the community involvement during the planning process. Question 2 - A teacher in the District who is also a member of "Citizens for School Improvements" Political Action Committee, wants to know if she can talk about the upcoming bond election at work. What can she say if another employee or parents ask her about the election? Answer 2 - Teachers have the right to express their views when asked. However, they have to use common sense when doing so and be careful not to let their views turn into any type of staged conversation or campaigning. Question 3 - You (as Superintendent of Schools) are giving a presentation about the upcoming bond election. At the end of the presentation a member of the audience asks you how you feel about the election. What should you say? Or more important, what should you not say? Answer 3 - Any factual statement can be made at any time regarding the bond election without violating the Texas Election Code. All political advertising, whether in support of or against the bond election, is considered advocacy and is strictly prohibited. Use caution when using printed materials as handouts. Do not stray from the factual material.

Bond Issues in Texas

We have just recently been through an election process in the State of Texas for funding school capital improvements. Most major building projects in the state are funded through local Independent School Districts (ISD) by issuing the sale of bonds. The bonds must be approved by the voters in the ISD in which they reside. There were a total of 43 ISD's with elections and 33 passed, a 76.7% passage rate. The total dollar amount of funding that was called was $835,360,000 and the total amount passed was $633,070,000. In ISD's with less than 5000 students, the number of bond issues called was 38 and 29 passed. Large ISD's with more than 5000 students, the number of bond issues called was 5 and 4 passed. Even in these difficult economic times, the need for improving school facilities continues. It is apparent that the majority of the voters in the state recognized the need and said yes to improving their local school facilities. State law will only allow bond elections to occur at standard election dates in May and November, so the next round of bonds will be coming during the national election. This may be a difficult time to get voters to say yes to increasing their taxes, time will tell. Michael D. King AIA

Energy Efficient Building Envelopes

With many areas having adopted the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code, there are new considerations being evaluated in wall construction. Many climates are required to have a layer of continuous insulation in their exterior walls to meet this code. If your schools are constructed using either metal studs or masonry, the insulation between the studs or in the cells of the masonry is not considered continuous and an additional layer must be added outside of this wall.

An alternative wall system gaining traction in some areas is ICF - Insulated Concrete Forms. This wall system uses two layers of foam that work both as the formwork for a concrete wall and for the layer of continuous insulation. The foam forms can easily be cut to place electrical conduit or small pipes. A masonry veneer can still be applied to the exterior face of the wall. The most common interior finish is gypsum board.

There are several benefits to this wall system. It has a higher R-value than other standard wall systems, thus making the envelope more energy efficient. It is also much faster to construct, which saves time and money during construction. ICF is also designed to be a load-bearing system, which eliminates the need for any structural beams and columns around the perimeter of the building, also a direct cost savings. A disadvantage of this system is the increased wall thickness, which is typically 1'-6". This increased wall thickness translates into a larger building footprint. However, even with this increase, the cost savings generated by the benefits listed above result in this wall system still being very comparable in $/SF to a masonry wall system.

School Design Standards

Education in the State of Texas is governed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The TEA adopted school facility design standards in 1994 and then updated and revised the standards in 2004. Essentially the standards set out minimum sizes of classrooms and other spaces for the grade levels. As an example, kindergarten and 1st grade classrooms are sized at a minimum of 800sf for 22 students. TEA has limited the class size of students in K - 4th grade at a 22 to 1 ratio. If you are in a smaller school district and you don't have 22 students per room, you can use the factor of 36sf per student to get to your minimum room size. I usually don't recommend using the square foot factor per student since it limits you to that number of students. If the class size grows you would have to add additional classrooms and teachers, rather than expanding into the rooms you have. Grade levels 2 - 12 are sized at 700sf per classroom and if smaller size rooms are appropriate, you would use the factor of 32sf in the lower grade levels and 28sf in the secondary level. TEA felt it was necessary to set the minimum standards and unfortunately this is the size rooms that we see end up being provided. These minimum sizes may meet your needs just fine, but in most cases we find that even these rooms are too small to meet the needs of teachers and the number of students that are squeezed into the space. It is imperative that you communicate to your design professional how many students are being planned for in the classrooms. Does an 800sf kindergarten room meet your needs in how you teach your curriculum? Only you can answer that question. If it is not discussed, you may end up with the classrooms being too small. I would be interested to know what other states have set out minimum design standards and how they compare.

ADA Compliance - Part Two

Continuing the discussion on ADA compliance, it's important for us all to understand the concept of universal design. This concept embraces not only the recognition that we must make our buildings accessible, but takes it a step further to do more to eliminate barriers. For example, designing ramps in place of steps even if the ramp is not required to meet the letter of the law.

I asked in the previous blog "how accessible is your school?". One exercise that I do with my students when I am lecturing on accessibility is to borrow a wheelchair and take them around the building we are in to have them experience first hand what it is like. It's a real eye opening experience for most. The simple act of pulling up to and opening a door is enough for them to realize why the ADA is so specific about this operation. You must have 18" of clearance on the side of the door if it opens towards you, the force to pull the door open cannot exceed 5ft/lbs, the handle must be the type that does not require a grasping and twisting motion and the door must have a clear opening of 32" min.

One common violation that I see is the placement of room signage. Often times it is attached to the door, which is not correct. In order for the signage to be in compliance it must be attached to the wall on the strike side of the door, mounted at 5ft to the center of the sign, contain the room name and number in braille, and be located no more than 8" from the door frame. This is so that a blind person can locate the room. If the door is in the open position, they would not be able to find the room number. Or if the signage is up too high to reach, again they would not be able to find the room.

Another common violation occurs when the lavatory for the handicap does not have the exposed plumbing lines covered under the fixture. The drain line and the water lines all must be covered with insulation. This is specified in order to protect the person in the wheelchair as they pull up to the lavatory so that their legs and feet are not injured by the exposed pipes.

One more item to be aware of is the side slope on sidewalks. The side slope cannot exceed a 2% grade on the width of the walk. Probably the most common injury for ambulatory people is loosing their balance and falling because of excessive side slope on walks.

Take universal design to heart. Tour your school campus and see what you can do to make your building more user friendly for all people.

Michael D. King AIA

ADA Compliance

The ADA (American With Disabilities Act) is not new legislation, it was put in effect over 20 years ago. Every school should have an action plan as to how to make their facilities handicap accessible. How accessible is your school?

There are 5 major components that lead towards making your facility accessible.
First, is there parking allocated for wheelchair access and is the path to the main entrance free from barriers? The designated handicap parking space must be at least 96" wide with a 60" access aisle adjacent to it. If you only have one h.c. parking space it must be designated as 'van accessible' and be 132" wide. The van space can be 96" wide if it has an adjacent access aisle of at least 96" wide. The pathway from the h.c. parking space must be accessible to the main entrance. No slopes of over 5% are allowed unless they are ramps. The ramps cannot slope over 8.33% (a one in twelve rise to run ratio) and must have handrails on both sides. The ramp cannot run more than 30' in the horizontal distance before having a level landing of at least 5'. There cannot be more than a 1/2" rise to overcome along the accessible path. For instance, if a tree root has caused the sidewalk to raise up and crack, if the rise is more than 1/2", it is considered to be a barrier.

Second, is the path of travel in the interior of the facility free from barriers? Access to all goods and services must be on an accessible path. Education is the service provided in the school, so all floors and all spaces must be accessible.

Third, are your restrooms accessible? All components of the restroom must be accessible. The ADA requires certain heights for the plumbing fixtures and at least one stall to be accessible (5'x5'). Mirrors, hand dryers and soap dispensers must be set at the appropriate height for the user of the facility. If you are building an addition to your school and it does not contain restrooms, then you must assure that accessible restrooms are available in the existing bldg. and that the restrooms are along an accessible pathway.

Fourth, are your drinking fountains accessible? ADA requires that drinking fountains be set at certain heights for the main users of the bldg and that they be located in pairs. One to be set at a lower height for wheelchair users and one set at a slightly higher elevation for those people that might have difficulty stooping over at the lower of the two fountains.

Fifth, are your public telephones accessible? This requirement is not difficult to comply with since the advent of mobile phones. But if you do have phones available to the public, one must be set at an accessible height.

These are simply the basic things you should be looking for to have an accessible facility. There are of course quite a few more items such as doors and door hardware that will make the interior pathway of the bldg accessible or not. If you do not have a plan in place to remove the barriers in your school, we highly recommend that you put one in place as soon as possible. More and more lawsuits are being filed every year by accessible advocates, and having a plan in place would greatly assist, should you be filed on.

Michael D. King AIA